Chinese Reporter Mistakes Male Masturbation Toy as Rare Mushroom

Xi’an Television’s “Xi’an Up Close” television program broadcasted a piece of local news, about an old farmer digging a well uncovered an object that resembles a Taisui Lingzhi mushroom [Taishui is a subspecies of the rare Lingzhi mushroom, aka as Ganoderma lucidum or the reishi mushroom, as well as a name for the planet Jupiter in ancient China]. On camera, the reporter pinched and prodded this object over and over again, saying she would go find experts the next day to have it identified. However, audiences immediately recognized it as a men’s masturbator. For this, Xi’an TV’s “Xi’an Up Close” program team explained on their official microblog that the reporter was too young, not yet versed in the ways and affairs of the world, and was very sorry for the discomfort and misguidance they caused for audiences.

On June 17th, Xi’an TV’s “Xi’an Up Close” program broadcasted a piece of local news. At first the anchorperson claimed that an old Xi’an farmer was digging a well in his hometown, and when the well reached close to 100 meters depth, a strange plant was uncovered and dug out. The correspondent on camera said the villagers told her they had dug out a fleshy plant-like object, and the nearly 80-year-old elderly man also said he had never seen such strange a thing. The villagers interviewed said they too didn’t know what it is, that the fleshy thing even had a nose and an eye. When the female reporter saw the object, she described it as something very much like a fungus, with both ends being in the shape of mushroom heads. Then she picked it up pinched and prodded it over and over again, saying the top end of the mushroom head was a mouth, and the bottom end had a small hole. She even said it felt very smooth and slippery. Local villagers said that they had searched online and discovered that this ting was called Taisui, a kind of lingzhi mushroom, upon which the reporter immediately gave an introduction and explanation about lingzhi mushrooms, before saying she would go find experts to have it identified. However, netizens watching this piece of news immediately recognized it as a male masturbation toy, not a fungus or lingzhi mushroom at all. This [television reporter’s] mistake left netizens not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The programme team apologizes that the reporter is too young to understand worldly affairs.

For this, Xi’an TV’s “Xi’an Up Close” program team made an apology to all netizens on their official Weibo microblog, claiming that the female reporter was too young, and was ignorant of worldly affairs, so they were very sorry for any discomfort and misguidance they caused for viewers, and hoped that people could forgive them this time for their oversight. “Xi’an Up Close” wrote: “An open letter to all netizens and viewers: Dear folks! Last night a segment of our news was widely laughed at and ridiculed. This incident has gotten wide attention, been widely forwarded and commented on. Owing to our reporter being still very young, not yet versed in the ways of the world, she brought audiences discomfort and misguidance in this piece of news! Here, we sincerely thank all netizens for their criticisms and corrections of our program. Folks, please forgive us for this instance carelessness!”

“Xi’an Up Close” program's Weibo apology.The female reporter even posted on her Sina Weibo microblog account asking people what it was.

Just treat it as a funny joke, laugh, and forget it! Female reporter I support you, you are very good! Not like those who see it and know it is a masturbation toy, you’re better than them! It proves this program team is pure! She’s a very pure girl!!! Hope they won’t punish her!

腾讯网友 青青子衿:

Those who are laughing and ridiculing this, I really don’t know what your hearts and minds are like. I’m a man, but if I saw it I too wouldn’t know what it was for either. What normal man would go into a sex shop every day and check out what those weird toys look like?

腾讯烟台市网友 凝芸冰澜:

I support the female reporter, and trust she’s a very pure and innocent beautiful reporter, not like those SB who recognize that dirty thing. I support you, female reporter.

腾讯网友 和:

Talk about losing face for Shaanxi people, this “The female reporter was too young, and was ignorant of worldly affairs”, what the hell were the other people at the TV station doing? Punish the chief editor of Xi’an TV. This can’t be forgiven.

腾讯网友 洗心改面做神: (responding to above)

Punish? You guys who have minds filled with masturbation toys would of course be very familiar with these things, but this just shows that the female reporter is very pure and innocent.

腾讯杭州市网友 莼ー潶ァ銫:

I think these villagers are really not nice, even saying they dug it up after digging a well down to 100 meters. I think someone is playing a prank. After all, who would have nothing better to do than to bury this thing a hundred meters into the ground?

腾讯网友 煖阳:

So hilarious! Who dumped this thing? Not only has he made fools out of all villagers, from the old to the young, from the men to the women, but he’s also made the whole nation laugh…

腾讯郑州市网友 happiness:

It wasn’t as if this news was reported, shot, edited, and broadcasted by the female reporter alone, it had to go through many steps before it’s finally broadcasted, right? Throughout all this, did no one notice anything wrong? Are all the people of the programme team so “pure/innocent”? Hard to imagine.

腾讯网友 滋/Dee:

Could be the best/funniest joke of this year…

腾讯网友 时空穿梭:

I’m sorry, an old monk like me doesn’t recognize this thing either…

腾讯百色市网友 安全师:

Can’t blame it on her, she’s not experienced, [but] the people around the reporter are so evil/mean, just watching her make a fool of herself.

What do you think? Would you have recognized it immediately? Does it say something about who you are if you did or did not?

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